Cherish
by PirateBallet
Summary: Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate While in search for treasure in a prison, Jack stumbles upon a beaten, tortured, and widowed Elizabeth Turner. JE
1. Found

**Author's Notes: Yet another story. This one should be updated often, but I can not promise that. Sphynx is starting college in two weeks, and she is a little nervous about how this will effect her story writing. I should at least try to have a chapter up once a week or maybe every two weeks. Probably on weekends. Or sugar highs. Whichever comes first. This is our attempt at a drama fic rather than a humor one. We'll see how we do.**

**Mini-Contest: The first to guess which particular scene our pen-name comes from gets a free story Guess in the review.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own any of the following characters.**

* * *

**Over My Head**

"Cap'n? Couldn't we 'ave picked a place that was a little more . . . sunny?"

Joshamee Gibbs looked hopefully toward the younger man in front of him, but his hopes were dashed as the Captain shook his head. "Do not be fooled by looks, Mr. Gibbs." the taller man muttered, gazing around the prison with a frown. "A prison can hold many treasures one can not find on land. And how can one find what isn't found on land without going to the place where one can find it?"

Gibbs nodded, used to Jack's long-winded drawls. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"I don't know."

"Ye mean we're going after somethin' we don't know anything about?"

"No. We're going after a treasure specifically described by Tia Dalma as "the greatest treasure ever found". Therefore, we aren't going after something we don't know anything about, as we do know something about it, just not enough to tell exactly what it is and/or may be."

"Right, then." The older man sighed, jumping as one of the cell doors creaked. "I still wish she could have picked a prettier spot."

A noise caught Jack's attention. A small whimper that came from the cell to their left. Gibb's furrowed his eyebrows, starting at Jack in confusion. Jack shrugged and headed on, stopping dead at the sight of the prisoner. He blinked, turned to Gibbs, and blinked again.

"Mr. Gibbs."

"Yes?"

"Stay there."

Jack set off into the cell, leaving Gibbs behind to wonder what was going on. Hearing another small whimper, Gibbs peaked around the corner of the door.

The prisoner was a woman. A young woman by the looks of things. What little of her clothes that remained were in tatters, exposing parts that shouldn't be seen. Jack was leaning over her, brushing hair out of her face, biting his lip. Suddenly, he looked up.

"Mr. Gibbs, fetch a blanket."

"Cap'n?"

"Now."

Gibbs fetched the blanket. Jack snatched it away from Gibbs' hands, covering the woman before lifting her into his arms. The concerned look on Jack's face worried Gibbs. It wasn't like Jack to care about prisoners of any sort, much less a woman in a prison. Not to mention they still hadn't found their treasure.

Once back on the Pearl, Jack took the young lady into his cabin and laid her down on his bed. She came to life only for a moment, screaming and struggling against Jack's hold on her. Her brown eyes widened as if they recognized something before she promptly passed out.

"Cap'n?"

Jack turned towards Gibbs, his dark brown eyes showing something the first mate had never seen before. "Mr. Gibbs. Watch her while I take care of some things. Do not, under any circumstances, allow any of the crew to touch her. Savvy?"

"Understood, Cap."

Jack nodded, and headed toward AnaMaria's cabin. Left alone with curious stares from the rest of the crew, Gibbs took advantage of the moment to study the woman. What he saw took his breath away.

On the bed lay the bruised, battered, and torn body of what had once been Elizabeth Turner.


	2. Scared

**Author's Notes: Fifteen reviews for one chapter! You guys are amazing! Simply amazing. I never expected to get that many. I was hoping to get at least one or two . Keep it up guys! It keeps a girl encouraged! No one has guessed the mini-contest yet. ****Hint: It is a scene from Dead Man's Chest. The music is the key. There should be another story up shortly, written by my friend and co-writer, RedBud-Tree. The real reason Giselle slaps Jack. It's amusing, I'll tell you.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. If I did, would I be writing this?**

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This was not the way she had planned for things to be.

She was supposed to be home with her husband. Raising children and being as loving and as devoted of a wife as she could be. While the life of a lady had never been as interesting to her as most of the ladies her age, she was content to finally settle down.

That was how things _should_ have been.

They weren't.

Instead she was in the middle of a bed, having no idea where she was, or who she was with. Images of the previous nights flashed through her brain, making her thrash trying to erase them. She had been torn from her happy home, thrown in a prison, made to watch her husbands murder, beaten and violated.

The only comfort had been the cool, rough hand placed upon her head throughout the next night.

Her eyes fluttered open briefly, widening as she was sure she saw a familiar face. It couldn't be. There was no way _he . . ._

She shook the notion from her mind.

She had once been told the deepest pit of Hell was reserved for traitors, mutineers, murderers and other such sort.

For Elizabeth Turner, this _was_ Hell.

* * *

The girl hadn't moved in over an hour. Not a turn, not a cry or whimper. If not for the fact Jack could see her stomach movie, the pirate would have feared the girl dead.

Maybe she was dead.

Physically, the girl would heal. The cuts and bruises would eventually fade, the deeper turning into scars she would always carry. Emotionally, she would take work. Just by looking at her, Jack had a vague idea of some of the horrors Elizabeth had been placed through. Yes, it would take lots of work to restore her to what she once was.

She might never be the same again.

A knock startled Jack out of his stupor. "Come in."

AnaMaria entered the cabin. "Is she any better?"

Jack shrugged. "She sleeps. Wakes up. Screams a bit. Goes back to sleep. 'Onestly, she's a bit boring."

The woman fixed Jack with a sharp look. "She's your friend, Jack. Deny it or not, you would not have saved the lass if she didn't mean something to you."

Jack made a non-committal noise and grabbed a nearby bottle of rum, ignoring AnaMaria. "I mean it, Jack."

Jack made a shooing motion with one hand, taking a drink from the bottle. AnaMaria rolled her eyes, "Think about it, all right - she means something to you. Figure out what."

Jack watched her leave, then turned back to Elizabeth's still figure. Her eyes fluttered, then opened. For once, they were focused. Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before her eyes rested on Jack. They widened. ". . . Jack?"

"Mornin', luv."

She sat up, blinking in confusion. "Wh. . What am I doing here?"

"Seems I found you in a prison, darling.

Elizabeth stiffened noticeably. Jack shrugged. "Not uncommon, though I found it unusual for you. How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"I would imagine. Anything else?"

She nodded. "Hungry. And thirsty." She placed a hand toward her stomach, rubbing it as though it were uncomfortable. "I haven't eaten since . . . Since before . ."

"No need to go on," Jack stated, rising to his feet. "I'll get you food. You lie there and . . . Rest. Not that you can do much else in your state."

He received a glare., which he ignored. "Shouldn't take too long, luv," then he paused and looked her over almost thoughtfully. "I'll send AnaMaria in t' stay with you for a bit."

"Jack - wait."

He paused, "Aye?"

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, luv," Jack replied and walked out of the cabin. Elizabeth let her eyes drift closed, assuming that the slightly choked up sound in Jack's answer was merely a figment of her imagination, brought on by her condition.

Once outside the cabin, Jack swallowed roughly, then hastily covered it it up with his "Captain" face. Striding around the deck, he glanced around until he spotted the sailor he was looking for up in the ratlines.

"AnaMaria!"

The woman climbed down in response to her captain's call. "Aye, Captain?"

Jack tipped his head in the direction of the cabin in an unspoken command, and AnaMaria nodded. "She awake?"

"Aye. See to her needs."

AnaMaria nodded, heading into his cabin. Jack laughed to himself at the irony. Two women in his cabin, at least one who had been his fancy at one time. Had the situation been different, that might have been kinky.

Such thoughts were not appropriate. Then again, he was a pirate.

Elizabeth didn't eat much when Jack brought her the food. She ate a few bits of bread, picked at the meat, and took a few sips of the water. When AnaMaria offered her the lemon, she turned it down. "If I eat anymore, I think I will be sick"

Jack had expected that. Prisoners often came back with little appetite, no matter how hungry their bodies might be.

"Alright, luv. That'll be enough for now. Now, go back t' sleep. You need it."

As it turned out, Jack needn't have said anything. The small amount of food in her stomach had apparently been enough to put Elizabeth right to sleep. With a shake of his head, the Captain left his cabin, content to spend the evening sleeping on the deck.

He had just begun to doze off when he heard a noise. Footsteps weren't uncommon on a ship, but they were uncommon at what had to be at least three in the morning. Another footstep. Cracking his eye open a bit, Jack could see the shape of a person.

He grabbed his pistol.

"State your name and what means you have crawling around in the middle of the night."

The person froze. An intake of breath. "Elizabeth Turner. I'm scared."

Jack was awake now. He sat up, taking in the sight of the governor's daughter wrapped in a blanket like a small child. "Elizabeth?"

"I hate that room," Elizabeth muttered. "I was alone. I don't want to be alone."

Slowly, she made her way toward Jack, settling herself down across from him. "You don't have to pay any attention to me," she stated quietly. "I was married for six months, Jack. I don't like sleeping alone." With that, she dozed off again, leaving Jack wondering what the heck was going on

Forget it .

When the crew found them the next morning, Jack was sure he would have some explaining to do.


End file.
